Head of an Old Woman
Orazio Borgianni
after 1610 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings
Head studies such as this, in which the artist eschewed formal portraiture in favor of exploring character and expression, are some of the most accessible and seemingly modern paintings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In this striking depiction of an old woman lit by a strong shaft of light, Borgianni has offered a meditation on aging and mortality. Borgianni was one of the most distinctive followers of Caravaggio, who was known for the kinds of naturalism and dramatic light effects seen here.
- Artist
- Orazio Borgianni
- Date
- after 1610
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Department
- European Paintings
- Credit line
- Purchase, Gwynne Andrews Fund and Marco Voena and Luigi Koelliker Gift, 2010
